Auckland FC move into Australia Cup quarters
- NZ Sports Wire
- Aug 14
- 1 min read
Auckland FC have joined the Wellington Phoenix in the quarterfinals of the Australia Cup.
All White Jesse Randall scored two goals and Marlee Francois another as Auckland FC defeated NPL Victoria club South Melbourne 3-0 at Melbourne's Lakeside Stadium to reach the last eight on Wednesday night.
LATEST HEADLINES:
AFC will now face fellow A-League club Sydney FC in the quarters from August 19-24, while the Phoenix, who scraped by NPL Victoria 3 side Nanawading City 1-0 on Sunday, will take on NPL Victoria club Heidelberg United.
South Melbourne made a strong start to the match, eager to snatch an early advantage.
The visitors, who wore down this early pressure from their opponents, went in front within 17 minutes. Randall spun neatly inside the box, hitting a first-time shot low past goalkeeper Javier Lopez.
Auckland came out for the second half with further goals in mind. Randall notched his brace in the 58th minute, with another well-timed finish following a throw-in that dropped at the attacker’s feet in the box.
Auckland’s purposeful attack provided a third goal in the 70th minute, when Francois arrowed a bouncing strike into the right of the goal, rounding out a solid victory for Auckland.
Auckland FC 3 (Jesse Randall 17', 58', Marlee Francois 70') South Melbourne 0. HT: 2-0
